The unpopular guide to PR: debunking the PR myths that brands still believe

Saksham Gupta, account manager, RF Thunder and top 10 PRmoment PR League India winner, "We've become so obsessed with proving our value instantly that we've forgotten PR was never meant to be instant. Somewhere along the way, we started letting clients treat us like a vending machine, put in a press release, and get out a headline. And when the headline doesn't move the needle on sales by Friday, we're suddenly ‘hard to measure.’ But that's not what this is about.

So, yeah, my unpopular opinion is that we're measuring the wrong things and celebrating the wrong wins. The real value of PR shows up in moments you can't predict, and by then, it's too late to build it.

The real impact of PR, the kind that actually matters, is almost invisible while it's happening. It's the story a journalist remembers about your CEO six months later when they're writing about the industry. It's the quiet credibility you've built with a regulator before a crisis hits. It's the narrative you've shaped so consistently that when a competitor stumbles, no one lumps you in with them.

I've been in situations where a brand survived a crisis not because of one brilliant statement, but because they'd spent years being the kind of company people wanted to believe. That trust doesn't show up on a media dashboard. You can't put it in a coverage report. But it's the only thing that actually saves you when things go wrong."

Subhashini Rajaram, head, corporate communications, with grocery brand Country Delight shares, "Everyone's asking the same question right now: Is the PR professional obsolete? Will AI replace comms roles entirely? Popular opinion says yes. I say — look closer."

She add, "If AI is coming for comms professionals, why are the world's leading AI companies actively headhunting senior communications talent? Think about that for a moment.The firms building the very technology everyone fears are the ones most urgently seeking people who can navigate complexity, hold steady in a crisis, and exercise sound judgement under pressure. They're not looking for someone to generate content — they're looking for someone to think."

Pooja Popli, lead - PR & Corporate Communications, a Gurugram-based D2C lifestyle and tech accessories brand, DailyObjects, says," Today scale is cheap, automation is everywhere, and perfectly optimised outreach has become white noise. The real advantage now is the one thing machines can’t replicate, i.e., human trust. The long lunch, the shared history, the off-template conversation. 

Call it the ‘Humanity Premium.’ The great irony of PR in 2026 is that the most ‘futuristic’ strategy is actually the oldest one in the book. 

The industry is quietly shifting from a volume game to a velocity-of-trust game. When everyone can manufacture visibility, the only real currency left is credibility. The future belongs to practitioners who combine the data precision of 2026 with the relationship depth of the 1980s."

Mrinmoy Choudhury, assistant editor of tech at TURBOCHARGED Magazine, and an avid motorcycle rider, says, "One unpopular opinion I’ve developed over my years as an automotive journalist is that PR in the auto industry often confuses access with influence. 

Getting invited to a launch event or an exotic drive/ride location doesn’t necessarily mean better coverage. In fact, sometimes the more elaborate the hospitality, the less scope there is for honest feedback about the product. Trying to mask the product with an experience is not what we look forward to. In fact, most of the journalists would be 10x happier to ride/drive the media car/bike from the launch location back to their home bases. Just cover their fuel and food :)

Another reality is that journalists and PR professionals are not on different teams, but the relationship works when it is treated as a professional exchange rather than a transactional one.

The most effective PR people I’ve worked with are the ones who understand that good reviews and stories are not built on just sharing press releases but from access to honest answers, and sometimes even acknowledging a product’s flaws. In the long run, credibility benefits everyone; the journalist, the publication, and ultimately the brand."

Monisha Mudaliar, founder of MonZ Media, agrees, sharing, “An unpopular truth about PR is that media coverage isn’t triggered by a brand’s readiness to talk. Many founders believe that once they have an announcement, the media will naturally pick it up. But journalists aren’t looking for announcements, they’re looking for relevance."

Abhishek Vissapragada, branch Head - Mumbai, K2 Communications, says, "Many PR pros have highlighted the fact that strategy and PR outreach take a lot of creativity and effort. But in my experience, the truth is that 80% of the work we do is routine, 10% of the work needs little creativity, 9% might need some effort and luck, whereas 1% is where you get the viral moment creativity."

Vissapragada observes, wryly, " I can also very well assure you that several PR pros are becoming ghost writers for journalists, as we have written several articles that have been carried by publications word-for-word without any change in the article itself. The journalists simply put their name in it and get the credit (as well as payment) for the story."

He ends by saying, not quite tongue in cheek, "The number of times that PR pros have been rejected or ghosted for their pitch would make them immune to any type of rejection or ghosting in their personal lives as well!"